Introduction

Within the modern context of rapid global economic and technological changes, and highly competitive and shifting market conditions, employers now expect employees to be independent knowledge seekers, critical thinkers and problem solvers. To meet these demands, lecturers and students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution such as the University of South Africa (Unisa) need to rethink their approach to teaching and learning.

There are three key elements that distinguish ODL from traditional face-to-face learning in schools and at residential universities. These elements are

• • separation

• • instruction delivery

• • communication

Separation means that the lecturers and students are usually not in the same place, at the same time and, in the case of many students at Unisa, often never see their lecturers during the entire time they are studying at Unisa. Instruction delivery at Unisa takes place mainly via various kinds of media, such as textbooks, study guides and, more recently, the use of the electronic media. These electronic media include online learning via myUnisa, satellite broadcasts, video conferencing, internet, emails and SMS. Students do have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with their lecturers during sessions such as tutorials or group visits, which take place two or three times per year. Communication between students and lecturers at Unisa mainly takes place via telephone, email and tutorial letters and, sometimes, in the form of a personal meeting in the lecturer's office. There are a number of researchers who believe that distance learning and online learning may be a more appropriate way of delivering teaching and learning to groups of students who come from different ethnic backgrounds, and whose needs and expectations, prior education and life experience, personal learning styles and abilities vary considerably (Mutula 2002:99; Beller & Or 2003:24).

Given the three elements that distinguish distance learning from traditional face-to-face learning, one may ask what online learning is and where myUnisa comes into all this. Online learning can be described as using various electronic media and technologies, such as myUnisa, the Internet, intranet, satellite broadcasts, video conferencing, CDs and CD-Roms and DVD-Roms to deliver instructional content and to create, foster and facilitate learning experiences.